This invention relates to mine ventilation structures, such as mine undercasts and mine overcasts of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,187 issued Nov. 14, 1995 to John M. Kennedy and William R. Kennedy, entitled Mine Ventilation Structure, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Reference may be made to said U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,187 for background on mine overcasts (including their function and prior overcast structures), and to the book titled xe2x80x9cPractical Mine Ventilationxe2x80x9d by William C. Kennedy, published by Intertec Publishing Corporation, for background on mine ventilation structures in general. This book is also incorporated by reference.
The invention is especially concerned with improvement in the decking of a mine ventilation structure such as the mine overcast disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,187, among the several objects of the invention being noted the provision of a deck made up of panels of relatively lighter weight and of equal or even greater strength for their lighter weight than the panels shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,187, the lighter weight making them more readily transportable; the provision of such a deck which is structurally efficient, having superior beam strength and having a surface characteristic enabling walking thereon; the provision of such a deck with the feature of interconnection of the panels for transfer of weight from one panel to an adjacent panel or panels; the provision of such a deck with the feature of panel edge support; and the provision of an improved panel for use in making the aforementioned deck.
In general, a mine ventilation structure of this invention comprises a deck which includes a plurality of elongate sheet metal panels, each panel being generally of modified inverted channel shape in transverse cross-section having a web at the top and side flanges extending down vertically from opposite sides of the web. The web is modified so as to have a flat horizontal area and an indentation extending down from the flat area between the side flanges lengthwise of the panel. The panels extend in side-by-side relation with the flanges of adjacent panels substantially contiguous one with another and the flat horizontal areas of the panels in generally coplanar relation forming a walking surface. The indentation in each panel is of such depth that the neutral axis of the panel is in the lower two-thirds of the panel depth.
The present invention is also directed to a plurality of elongate deck panels of the type described above for use in constructing a mine ventilation structure, such as a mine overcast or undercast.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.